Her Answer, Unexpected
by Personal Mythos
Summary: A second try at Koshien, new teammates, a disastrous breakup, and a promise to protect. Contains shoujo ai. Rating mostly for safety, but this fic contains minor violence and language. Major spoilers. Not for Takasugi fans.
1. Change

This is a shoujo ai fic. If you don't like shoujo ai, don't read it, but don't bug me about it.

Also, this is my first shoujo ai fic, so be lenient with me. You my want to check out Artemis' Bow's Princess Nine fic, seeing as we both got the same idea when watching Princess Nine together. We have different styles, however, so it's worth your while to read both.

Thoughts are given like so '...' and speech like so "..."

This is dedicated to Artemis' Bow, I'm sure she can figure out why.

Please review this, even if it's to say it sucks. Though if you think it sucks, I'd like to know where exactly I screwed up.

Disclaimer: I don't own Princess Nine or any of its characters. Suing me is a waste of your time and money.

**Her Answer, Unexpected**

**Chapter One: Change**

The blue-haired girl sat on a bench in the dugout, feeling the cold spring air. She was half an hour early to the first practice of the baseball season, which left her with time to think, for all the equipment was still locked up. Yoko, at least, was likely to be tardy, though she couldn't say for the others. She had heard that two new girls would be joining the team for the new season, but knew little beyond that.

The captain of the team, a small, brown-haired girl with green eyes, walked onto the baseball field, and, noticing the other girl, called out to her.

"Hey, Izumi! I see you're here early!"

'Cheerful as always.' noted Izumi. Though she could recall a time when the captain, Ryo, hadn't been so happy.

The previous year, Ryo Hayakawa had come to the school with a baseball scholarship and had met Izumi's childhood friend, Hiroki Takasugi, the ace pitcher for the team at the boys' school. Ryo agonized over their relationship at every turn, with Hiroki apparently waffling between the two girls, and Izumi antagonizing her.

And yet, and yet... after her initial dislike of Ryo, Izumi had gone to great lengths both to help her and to hide her own emotions. Ryo had puzzled over the other girl's seeming dislike of her on many occasions. Izumi was, to her, a conundrum, and that made her interesting.

Pushing these thoughts aside, Ryo asked, "So, have you heard anything about the two new girls?"

"No," said Izumi. Izumi's mother, Chairman Himuro, was usually quite tight-lipped about school business, even that which might affect Izumi.

"Well, that's too bad," said Ryo, sitting next to Izumi. "I wish they'd tell us these things!"

Izumi was silent for a while.

"So, how's Takasugi?"

Izumi hadn't seen much of her childhood friend since he'd chosen Ryo, in her effort to move on. But sometimes she couldn't stop thinking about the couple. It seemed wrong somehow.

Ryo, it seemed, was beginning to share that sentiment.

"I don't know," she said, frowning. "I like him, I think. I mean, of course I do, but I get so mad when he calls me Ganmo-chan. And I told him to stop, but... and he doesn't take me seriously half the time."

"That's too bad," said Izumi vaguely. She was beginning to feel irritated at Hiroki herself. "I mean," she said somewhat awkwardly, "I know how he is..."

She was rescued from continuing further by the arrival of Hikaru Yoshimoto, the second batter.

"Hey, guys!" she said. "How's it going?"

After hearing Izumi and Ryo's formulaic replies, she leaned up against the fence to wait. The other members of the team joined them one by one: Seira Morimura, the first batter, Kanako Mita, the shortstop, Koharu Hotta, the third batter, famed for her Wave Motion Swing, Yoko Tokashiki, the ditsy outfielder, Yuki Azuma, the quiet left-fielder and fifth batter, Mai Daidoji, the catcher, and of course Nene Mori, the self-appointed manager. They were followed at length (great length) by their coach, a perennially drunken man named Kido. He looked lazily around at the assembled girls.

"I see Suzuki and Mido aren't here yet," he noted, yawning. He opened up the locker room and left, presumably to sleep somewhere.

Talk was mostly of the two new players as the team donned their uniforms.

"Suzuki and Mido?" wondered Kanako. "The names aren't familiar."

"I don't know Mido," commented Koharu, "But there was a good pitcher by the name of Chiyo Suzuki. Not as fast as Ryo, but still pretty reliable. I wonder if it's the same one?"

"That would be great!" said Hikaru. "She could help you, Ryo!"

"Yes," said Ryo. Her mind seemed to be elsewhere.

As the team filed out of the locker room, Izumi pulled Ryo aside.

"Listen," she said, "don't let Hiroki get to you."

Ryo nodded silently, attempting a smile, and Izumi walked out the door ahead of her.

They heard a loud crash, coming from the baseball field. The two girls hurried down to the field, wondering what had gone wrong. They found a girl and her bicycle, lying in a heap next to the fence, with the rest of the team watching, bemused.

"Ouch ouch ouch," moaned the girl, who was small, with short reddish-brown hair. With her cut-off jeans, dust-covered t-shirt, and backwards baseball cap, she appeared tomboyish. The expression on her face was rueful, and there was a small smudge of dirt under her nose. Noticing the girls watching her, she stood hurriedly and bowed twice, deeply but quickly.

"Sorry, sorry," she said, "I'm usually not so careless, but I was in a hurry. This is the right place?"

She looked around.

"It must be. I'm Chiyo Suzuki, your new backup pitcher. I'm sorry I'm late."

Another girl, one who had by and large gone unnoticed (but not by Izumi) stalked up behind her in an indignant manner.

"Really now," she said, wearing an expression of distaste that Izumi knew only too well, having worn it herself on numerous occasions, "some people have no class. I take it this is the Kisaragi Girls' Baseball Team?"

Several girls nodded.

"Not quite what I expected, but it'll do," said the girl in a sour tone clearly directed at the team. "My name is Arisu Mido."

Arisu had long, straight, nearly black hair and dark eyes with pale skin. She was dressed in fancy, frilly clothes, and had a pampered look about her. She was pretty by most people's standards, and clearly knew it.

'She's just like I was several month ago,' realized Izumi, 'but worse.'

"Why don't you two get changed into your uniforms," suggested Ryo, stepping up in her role as captain, "I'm Ryo Hayakawa, the team captain."

"I know who you are," said Arisu disdainfully, and the two new players followed Ryo uphill to the locker room.

Their practice went well, in terms of baseball, though everyone became sourer at each of Arisu's biting comments. She was a decent batter, with good control, but lacking in power, whereas Chiyo, though a fast and reliable pitcher, had less control that Ryo would have liked when hitting, swinging enthusiastically but without exceptional finesse at the ball.

Both of the new players left immediately after practice, and the original members of the team stayed behind discussing the new members. Izumi sat in a corner, reading.

"Chiyo's alright," said Hikaru, "but that other girl..."

"She thinks she's great," said Seira, "but what a bitch! I can't stand that attitude of hers! She's worse than..."

Seira stopped mid-sentence, not looking a Izumi.

"Hey!" said Ryo, "Don't say that!"

"I didn't." responded Seira, looking surprised.

Ryo wasn't sure why she was defending Izumi. Sure, the two girls had started to get along after Takasugi had chosen Ryo, but still, Ryo had borne the brunt of most of Izumi's attitude and been the target of her snide remarks. Still, she was a little mad at Seira for even mentioning it. She glanced at Izumi, who had put down her book and was looking directly at her. She quickly looked back at her book, pretending indifference, when she met Ryo's gaze.

"Still," commented Ryo, to break the silence, "At least she can play."

Everyone admitted that much, and the talk continued as they filed out of the locker room, leaving Izumi behind. Ryo gave one last concerned glance in her direction as she left. Izumi could be standoffish, and even after nearly a year, hadn't integrated herself fully into the team, but she still seemed affected by their opinions.

After Ryo was gone, Izumi sighed and stood up, closing her book. She walked to the window and looked out. Though she was grateful for the other girl's defense (and would never have admitted it), she was puzzled as well. Seira's comment, though biting, had been fully justifiable. To call Izumi's initial behavior towards Ryo rude would be charitable. In truth, she had been antagonistic, vindictive, and manipulative. She had seized upon weaknesses where she saw them and ground them into the dust. She fully realized this. And yet...

Looking out the window, Izumi froze. Across the baseball field, she could see a distinctly unwelcome sight: Arisu Mido talking to Ryo's boyfriend, Hiroki Takasugi. She was leaning in towards him, holding his arm, talking excitedly. What's more, he seemed to be enjoying it, responding, evening rewarding her with his best grin, the one which was a large part of the reason behind his popularity.

Izumi was puzzled. What was the situation between Takasugi and Ryo? Takasugi normally ignored or or spoke only fleetingly to the girls who liked him. To Izumi's knowledge, he had never had many female friends, and had none at all since she'd stopped hanging out with him. So it seemed likely this was more. She felt irritated at him. How dare he flirt with another girl, betraying Ryo! She had to remind herself that it might not be so.

Down by the baseball field, Ryo and Hikaru had noticed it too.

"Uh oh," said Hikaru, "looking like trouble."

"What?" asked Ryo, who had been musing about her relationship with Hiroki. "Oh," she said, noticing the two batters talking.

"Ryo, why don't you stop them?" asked Hikaru. "At least go over there. Arisu seems like trouble."

But Ryo was staring blankly at her boyfriend, wondering at her own lack of reaction. Rather than feeling angry or jealous, she felt a slight relief, as if leaving a problem behind. Sure, she was annoyed, but the relief was dominant. As she strode towards the two players, Takasugi noticed her.

"Hey, Ganmo-chan!" he exclaimed, joining her. "How's it going?"

"Don't call me Ganmo-chan!" said Ryo, not looking at him.

"What's the matter, Ganmo-chan?" asked Takasugi.

Ryo just stalked off.

Over the next few days, Takasugi spoke with Arisu every day after practice. Ryo ignored him, getting more and more annoyed at both of them. On the fifth day, she plucked up her courage to talk to him.

She stalked up, interrupting his daily talk with Arisu. Her expression was such that Arisu immediately found somewhere else to be.

"Takasugi, we need to talk."

"What is it Ganmo-chan? Why the long face?" said Takasugi, infuriating cheerful.

"Takasugi," she said, "I don't think we should go out anymore."

"That's a good joke, Ganmo-chan!" said Takasugi

Ryo clenched her fists at her sides. 'He still doesn't take me seriously.'

"It's not a joke." she said, scowling. "And don't call me Ganmo-chan!"

"I know you love me, Ganmo-chan!" teased Takasugi, seeming to feel that it really was a joke.

"I don't."

Ryo had meant to say that she didn't like Takasugi calling her Ganmo-chan or talking to Arisu, but once she had said it, she knew it was true. She no longer loved him, or even liked him. Looking into his gaping face, she continued on.

"You're infuriating, Takasugi. You always have to have your way. Everything's on your terms, and you never listen to me! I can't stand your smug smile any longer."

Ryo turned to leave, not looking at Takasugi's face. She heard a clink as Takasugi's hands hit the fence on both sides of her, effectively trapping her.

"Let me go!" she said.

"No, you listen," he said, his face angrier than she'd ever seen it. "I don't know what's wrong with you, but I'm not going to let you make a mistake like walking away from me."

His face returned to his usual smile.

"Now let's go, Ganmo-chan!"

Filled with a sudden rage, Ryo drew back her hand and slapped him across the face.

Down on the baseball diamond, Izumi, who had been practicing her batting, looking up at the noise, to see Takasugi looming over Ryo, his face so angry he seemed to have become someone else. He drew back his fist...

And before he could hit Ryo, a baseball smacked him across the face, hard. He looked down at the baseball diamond, to see Izumi pointing a baseball bat at him, a challenging gesture. His nose was bleeding, a slow trickle, infuriating. He clenched his jaw and his fists, but instead of doing anything more, spun on his heel and ran, a slow lope meant to show he wasn't really afraid.

Izumi had acted without thinking. Seeing her friend endangered, she had immediately sprung to her defense in the only way she could, knowing that she couldn't reach Takasugi in time. Seeing Ryo look at her, surprised, she threw down her bat and ran to her. She embraced the smaller girl, letting her cry on her shoulder, whispering in her ear, "It's okay, it's okay." Then she did the unthinkable.

"Ryo," she said hesitantly, "would you like to come over to my house?"

When Ryo didn't answer, she added awkwardly, "Or I could walk you home..."

Ryo took a deep breath. "No, it's okay," she said, "I'm just surprised. I'm not sure I could handle all those people anyway."

Taking that as permission, Izumi slowly turned her friend and guided her towards her house. Izumi's mother hadn't come home yet.

"It's not what you're used to," joked Izumi, trying to cheer Ryo up, "but it'll have to do."

Ryo chuckled weakly, then looked around. All she could think to say was, "Wow."

Izumi's house, unlike Ryo's place at the oden bar, was spacious and fancy. It was very clean, with long hallways and old-fashioned chairs. Ryo didn't want to even think about the real estate costs, let alone the upkeep of the building. She settled tiredly into a chair, and Izumi, separating from her with apparent reluctance, sat in the one across from her.

"So," said Izumi, "what was that about? I mean, if talking would help."

She was obviously out of her depth in talking about emotions. Ryo, knowing this, was deeply grateful to the blue-haired batter.

"Well, you know Takasugi," she began.

'Do I ever!' thought Izumi.

"...well, you know, he was just being Takasugi. Inattentive, inconsiderate Takasugi."

She stopped.

"I'm sorry, Izumi," said Ryo. "I know you two are friends."

"We were friends," corrected Izumi. "Go on."

"So I broke up with him. Sorry, Izumi. I know you gave up on him because of me."

"That was my reason," said Izumi, moving to stand behind Ryo, putting her arms around the other girl's shoulders, "but I don't regret it." she smiled a half-smile down at the girl in her arms, moving to stroke her hair. It was softer than it looked.

Ryo smiled back, a smile of sadness and regret, gratitude and something else.

'It can't be,' thought Izumi, shaking her head.

Ryo looked up at her, a sudden, unguarded expression of doubt and fear, exhaustion evident in her drooping shoulders.

"Izumi, what?"

"It's nothing. Listen, if he tries that again, tell me, okay?"

Ryo nodded.

"I won't let him."

The fear returned.

"Izumi, don't leave..." murmured Ryo, sounding more than half asleep. She clutched at the taller girl's sleeve.

Izumi helped the other girl up, and walked her into her own bedroom. Ryo laid down on Izumi's bed, and Izumi sat on the floor nearby, holding her hand. Ryo gripped like she would never let go, and asked, "Izumi?"

"Yeah?"

"Why are you being so nice?"

Izumi stood in the half-darkness, smiled, and kissed Ryo on the forehead.

"Entirely selfish reasons."

Ryo touched her forehead, puzzled, and then she smiled. A few minutes later, she had fallen asleep, still smiling.


	2. Unfamiliar Darkness

Yes, the chapter title is a blatant rip-off of the episode "Unfamiliar Ceiling" of Neon Genesis Evangelion.

This fic contains massive spoilers for the series.

Some characters (notably Takasugi) may be out of character. I hereby claim artistic license, even though it isn't mine.

Please review, like or dislike the story.

Disclaimer: I don't own Princess Nine or any of its characters. Suing me is a waste of your time and money.

**Her Answer, Unexpected**

**Chapter Two: Unfamiliar Darkness**

Izumi sat at the foot of her bed, still holding Ryo's hand. She wasn't sure she had done the right thing. Had she, perhaps, overstepped her limits? Maybe this hadn't been the right time to invite Ryo over. Was she taking advantage of her, in her exhausted state? She stood and disentangled her hand from the other girl, pausing as Ryo sighed in her sleep. She left the room, closed the door, and leaned against it, regarding the ceiling.

She sighed, and walked into the living room, where the two girls had been sitting minutes earlier. She reached for the phone, then wondered who to call. She'd always gone to Takasugi with her problems, but obviously that was out of the question. She considered calling one of the other girls on the team, but she wasn't close to most of them. She liked them well enough, with the exception of Arisu and possibly Yoko, but most of them didn't like her, though they respected her abilities. Seira would only overreact and probably go fight Takasugi herself. Kanako would probably be busy. Hikaru maybe? Or Yuki. Chiyo seemed nice, but she was still something of an outsider and Izumi didn't have her phone number anyway.

Izumi laughed at herself. How likely would any of the others be to understand Ryo sleeping in her bed?

'Even by herself,' Izumi mused. She gave up on the idea of calling anyone, and instead wandered out into the garden, where she kicked at rocks for awhile.

A little later, back in Izumi's room, Ryo woke up alone. She had had nightmares in which Takasugi attacked her and no one could defend her. Staring into the unfamiliar darkness, she felt alone and afraid.

'Where am I?' she wondered, staring at the ceiling. She shifted around in bed, and everything came back. She sat up, almost too fast, and called out.

"Izumi?"

The door swung open, slamming against the wall, and Izumi rushed inside. She had been sitting with her back to the door, worrying about Ryo, somehow not quite daring to go inside.

"What is it, Ryo? What's the matter?"

"I'm glad you're still here." said Ryo, reaching out an arm towards Izumi.

'So am I,' thought Izumi, embracing her.

The two girls heard a noise in the direction of the front door. Izumi instinctively pulled away, but kept her hand on Ryo's shoulder when the pitcher regarded her sadly. Hearing footsteps in the hall outside, Izumi looked at Ryo questioningly, then helped her gently out of bed, supporting her with an arm around her. Normally Ryo would have objected ("I'm not injured") but she found herself enjoying it. It seemed to fill a recently emptied part of her.

Keiko Himuro, Izumi's mother, was quietly (though audibly) moving around outside the door. Izumi thanked her stars the door was closed. While she dreaded explaining Ryo's presence in her bed to her teammates, she was reluctant even to think about explaining to her mother, who had never seemed terribly fond of her in the first place, though she could be indulgent. Izumi rather suspected that her mother's presence at the team's baseball games was more for Ryo's sake than anything else. Eventually, the noise of her footsteps stopped near the door, and her voice called out, "Izumi? Are you in there?"

Izumi was surprised, to tell the truth. Usually her mother kept her at arm's length, figuratively speaking (and more often than not even further away in the literal sense), and they didn't bother each other until at least dinnertime. But dinner was an hour away at least. Izumi quit speculating and said, "Yes, I'm here."

"Why don't you come join me out here?" asked her mother. "I have tea."

'Ah,' thought Izumi. It was one of her mother's sporadic attempts at being social. The last one had been about a month prior, and had resulted in a rather badly burnt cake (Mrs. Himuro was usually at least a passable cook, but she had trouble performing the unfamiliar task of socializing with her daughter at the same time).

Izumi looked at Ryo, still leaning against her, her head on the taller girl's shoulder.

"Mother," said Izumi, clearing her throat, "I have a guest."

"Oh," said her mother, "is it Hiroki? May I come in?"

"Alright," said Izumi, sitting Ryo down on her bed.

Izumi's mother opened the door, her fingers finding the lightswitch next to it and flicking it on.

"Oh, hello, Hayakawa." said Izumi's mother. "It's good to see that you two are still getting along."

'Still?" wondered Izumi, looking at Ryo, who shrugged. She turned back to face her mother.

"But why were you two sitting in the dark?"

"Well, you know," said Ryo in a conspiratorial tone, leaning in towards the chairman, while Izumi succeeded rather nicely at not looking alarmed, "it was... a séance!"

The chairman looked amused, but skeptical. Izumi was taken aback, not having suspected Ryo of such a mischievous sense of humor, much less of being in any mood to exercise it.

"What," said the chairman, "communing with spirits of baseball legends of the past?"

"Yeah," said Ryo, "it's too bad you missed Babe Ruth. You have no idea what a great sense of humor he has."

"I had no idea he knew Japanese." The chairman laughed. "Why not your father?"

Ryo suddenly grew serious.

"Because I know him, here." She pointed to her skull. "And here," she added, indicating her heart, "so I don't need to. Not anymore."

Ryo gazed out the window. The previous year, Ryo had discovered, for the first time, that her father had been implicated in a betting scandal after money was discovered in his locker. He had subsequently been banned from professional baseball on suspicion of rigging a game, though nothing was proven. Ryo had doubted his innocence initially, but after meeting a man who had known him, doubted no longer.

Mrs. Himuro was staring out the window as well. One of the few things that could break her usual cold composure was talk of her former boyfriend, Hidehiko Hayakawa, who she had known in his pro baseball days. He was, perhaps, the reason she was eager to have her daughter, Izumi, get along with Ryo.

Snapping out of her daze, Izumi's mother gestured towards the door and lead the two girls into the living room, where she had set out a tea set, complete with hot tea and tea cakes. She sat in a dark brown wooden chair with a pastel cushion, and the two girls sat in identical chairs across the matching wood table from her.

"So," asked Izumi's mother, serving tea "did anything interesting happen at practice today?"

The two girls exchanged glances.

"Well," began Izumi, "that new girl, Mido, is a bit of a pain."

"She was flirting with Takasugi," said Ryo in a matter-of-fact tone, "and he was letting her, and enjoying it."

Izumi's mother looked at Ryo with a concern echoed in her daughter's face. Ryo was usually much more emotional about such things. Perhaps, reflected Izumi, Ryo was not yet fully recovered.

"And?"

"And I broke up with him."

Ryo was staring into her teacup, looking dazed and perhaps slightly ill. She took a sip of her tea, and began to cough and sputter. The chairman began to stand, but Izumi stopped Ryo's coughing with a few well-placed, decisive thumps to the back. Ryo looked up at her gratefully.

"So," asked the chairman, changing the subject awkwardly, "are you girls ready for the new school year? It's starting in a few days."

It was a moment which gave Izumi insight into her mother. Mrs. Himuro was a woman whose main social skills fell into the areas of arguments and confrontations, not good material for building a solid relationship. She had, perhaps, been less withdrawn before her breakup with Hidehiko Hayakawa, but in any case, in casual conversation, she avoided awkward or painful subjects if possible, being elusive or concealing the truth rather than facing it head on. Where it mattered, Izumi reflected, her mother was a coward. But then, in some ways, so was she.

Izumi came back to the conversation. "I am," she said with her usual certainty.

Ryo looked up. "So am I," she said weakly, her voice rough from coughing.

The chairman cleared her throat as the two girls slowly sipped their tea, Izumi dignified and Ryo cautious.

"Well," she said, "that's good to hear. Would either of you girls like some cake?"

Izumi shook her head. "I'm sorry, mother, but I think Ryo should return home now. It is approaching dinnertime."

"Well," said the chairman, standing, "I'll see you at school, Hayakawa. Izumi, will you be accompanying her home?"

The two girls glanced at one another. Izumi, for one, hadn't thought of the possibility, but looking into the smaller girl's eyes, she knew she wanted to.

"Yes, mother," she said, "I will."

The chairman walked the two girls to the door, smiling faintly. As they left, she waved goodbye.

The girls walked in silence. Once they were out of sight of the house, Izumi gave Ryo a quick hug.

"Hey, you alright?"

"Yeah," said Ryo, and continued silently for a few steps.

"Hey, Izumi?"

"Yeah."

"Thanks."

Izumi hugged Ryo in answer. They walked for awhile, their strides synchronized, a little apart. Izumi watched the smaller girl, listening to her breathing. She considered putting her arm around the pitcher as they walked, but couldn't quite work herself up to it.

'I've never been prone to displays of affection before,' mused Izumi, 'and only rarely even with Hiroki. What's wrong with me?'

"Hmmm?" asked Ryo, noticing that something was troubling the other girl.

"Oh, no," said Izumi, smiling, "don't worry about it."

"Okay," said Ryo, and they continued in silence until they reached the door to Ryo's mother's oden bar.

Izumi hesitated, unwilling to go in. Ryo, also hesitated, then opened her mouth and said, "Izumi, would you like to come inside?"

Izumi nearly protested, but realizing it would be impolite to decline (and also that she didn't really want to) followed Ryo inside.

Shino Hayakawa, Ryo's mother, looked up from where she was cooking Oden. She greeted Ryo, noticing Izumi with a start of surprise.

"Oh, Izumi," she said, "come in! Sit down!"

Izumi sat at the bar, trying to think of a polite way to refuse the oden Ryo's mother offered her.

"I don't have any money," said Izumi awkwardly.

"As I've said before," said Mrs. Hayakawa, "Ryo's friends eat free."

"Besides," she said in a low tone, leaning towards Izumi, "I never had a chance to properly thank you for what you did that night at the hospital."

Izumi bit her lip, feeling very awkward indeed.

"So you were there!" exclaimed Ryo, "that wasn't just a dream!"

She smiled at Izumi, a smile which, she reflected ruefully, made it quite impossible for her to refuse the food and quite worth the trouble of being embarrassed.

'I thought I'd learned,' she reflected, eating quietly, 'I thought Hiroki had taught me not to let myself depend on anyone, not so much.'

But she was interrupted by Ryo's smile, which faded as Ryo explained the events of the day (glazing over Takasugi's near attack by saying that he had been a jerk and Izumi had gotten him to go away, and omitting the hour or more she had spent asleep in Izumi's bed).

Shino Hayakawa smiled at Izumi.

"Well, thank you for being such a good friend to my daughter."

A few minutes later, Izumi finished her oden and excused herself, returning home.

The next day at practice, Izumi and Ryo were slightly awkward around one another. The rest of the team, of course, picked up on it, and eventually Seira cornered Ryo to ask what was wrong. The other girls, except for Arisu and Izumi, crowded around. Ryo explained about her breakup with Takasugi, while Seira got progressively angrier.

"He did WHAT?" exclaimed Seira. "That bastard!"

"Yeah," continued Ryo, "but it's okay, Izumi protected me."

"Protected you?" asked Koharu, "How?"

Ryo shuffled her feet.

Izumi cleared her throat.

"I hit him with a baseball in the nose."

Seira looked at her with a new respect, whistling. "Wow," she said quietly, "I guess I don't have to go beat him up after all."

She turned to Ryo, "but if you ever need me to, I will."

Ryo scratched at her ear, slightly embarrassed.

"Hiroki told me about the whole thing," said Arisu, sneering, "and you're going to regret breaking up with him. And you," she said, turning towards Izumi, "you are going to regret hitting him."

"I had heard good things of Izumi Himuro," continued Arisu, as snide as ever, "and I thought that you might be worth associating with, but it seems the rumors were false. A pity."

She left, indignant.

As the other girls watched Arisu leave, Chiyo approached Ryo.

"Look," she said, pulling off a Kisaragi Girl's baseball cap to run her fingers through her hair, "don't let her get to you. Best thing to do with such a person is to ignore them – if you pay them any mind, it only increases their ego." She patted Ryo on the shoulder, and, pulling the cap back on, backwards, she walked out the door. A moment later, she turned, calling out, "See you on Monday!"

"You know," commented Hikaru as she left, "I think I like her."

"Yeah, she's alright," said Ryo.

Saying farewell to the remaining members of the team, Ryo left the school and walked home on her own. She didn't see Takasugi until he stopped his bicycle in front of her, blocking her path. A bandage covered his nose and part of his right cheek. The bandage was pristine white, so the injury hadn't been bleeding recently, but Takasugi looked nearly as angry as he had at first. He got off his bike, letting it fall to the ground, and grabbed Ryo roughly by the shoulders, smirking.

"Girls don't just leave me." he said, and shook her a little. "I'm still stronger than you."

With one last smirk, he got back onto his bicycle, and rode off, leaving Ryo shaken. He hadn't hurt her, but he had proven that he could.

Ryo headed straight home, trying not to think about Takasugi. When she got home, she considered calling Izumi, but she was too tired, and instead went to bed. She'd spend the weekend preparing for the new school year and tell Izumi on Monday. With that thought in mind, she went to sleep, for once staying that way until morning.


	3. Ivory Towers

Author's Note:

This fic contains massive spoilers for the series.

Some characters (notably Takasugi) may be out of character. I hereby claim artistic license, even though it isn't mine.

Please review, whether you like or dislike the story.

Remember to check out Artemis' Bow's Princess Nine fic.

Disclaimer: I don't own Princess Nine or any of its characters. Suing me is a waste of your time and money.

**Her Answer, Unexpected**

**Chapter Three: Ivory Towers**

On Monday, school started. Ryo carefully avoided Izumi, not meeting her eyes when they passed in the halls. Izumi, though puzzled, said nothing.

At lunchtime, Ryo sat with the majority of the baseball team, eating her lunch in silence, only nodding or shaking her head when asked a question. Izumi hesitantly approached the table, working up the nerve to ask if Ryo was angry at her. Had she somehow gone too far?

'Is Ryo afraid I'll bring up that night? Does she think I expect something of her?' wondered Izumi.

Unfortunately for Izumi, she didn't have time to ask Ryo any of these questions, for the bell rang, and Chiyo pulled Ryo in the direction of their art class. As she passed Izumi, Ryo spotted the taller girl, a hesitant, almost scared expression on her face. Ryo gave the other girl a fleeting, almost unconscious smile, then turned to face Chiyo again.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!"

'Not fear, then,' mused Izumi, 'or anger. So what is it?'

She was forced to discard her musings in favor of her class, but she returned to them on the way to practice. She was in a daze by the time she reached the locker room, and almost didn't see Ryo and Chiyo as the entered, talking quickly. Ryo had splatters of red paint on her face, whereas Chiyo just had a smudge of blue under her left eye. Most of it had missed their uniforms, but Ryo was plucking nervously at a bit which had landed on her right sleeve, near the cuff. Chiyo simply looked odd in the uniform.

Izumi almost smiled at Ryo, but stopped as Ryo turned to face her. Ryo froze, then turned away, heading towards the sink with Chiyo.

Izumi slipped back into her former cold demeanor, but kept listening to their conversation. Apparently the two pitchers had caused quite a stir when their attempts at painting reproductions of the masters had degenerated into something more closely resembling a paint fight, though Ryo swore she hadn't started it, and bemoaned the fact that her "Starry Night" would never be the same.

"You think this will come out?" she asked, still half-heartedly plucking at her sleeve.

"Don't worry about it!" said Chiyo. "It was worth it anyway."

"To you, maybe."

"Oh yeah? Well, who got me with this?" Chiyo asked, pointing at her face, then removing her jacket to show stains on her shirt, "And this? And this?"

"What vulgarity!" said Arisu, sneering. "You do realize you're giving the team a bad name, don't you?"

She continued to speak, turning her attention towards Kanako, the only one on the team she'd talk to civilly.

"My father told me not to come to this school. He knew I wouldn't allow myself to be corrupted by," she looked around, "these hooligans, but he said it would ruin my reputation. My mother, on the other hand, said it would be the only chance for my sports abilities to be recognized as well as my looks, and you must settle for what you can get."

Kanako looked slightly sick. She turned towards the team with a look that begged for help, but they weren't looking in her direction. Also, their opinion of her seemed to have dropped at least slightly since Arisu had begun talking to her. Izumi, on the other hand, knew it was not by Kanako's choice, and she was considering telling Kanako something she'd heard earlier that day: Arisu talking to what might be called Izumi's former groupies, of whom she'd never been fond.

"She's rather plain," Arisu had said, "but at least she's better than the rest of that ragtag team. Even that Izumi seems to have sunken to their level. It's pathetic."

All four girls had laughed, not noticing Izumi's presence.

As Izumi dressed and went out to practice, she convinced herself that maybe she'd only been imagining Ryo's avoidance of her. That idea was completely shattered, however, when she saw Ryo's pitching in practice. It was so erratic that Chiyo had to step in as a replacement; she was more reliable, but not nearly so fast.

Izumi, too, was having a bad day as far as batting went. Though she hit Chiyo's pitches without fail, most of her hits were fouls. Arisu, on the other hand, seemed to be having a good day; though none of her hits were spectacular, all of them were competent, and she missed no opportunity to rub that in.

After practice, Izumi finally approached Ryo, who avoided her gaze. Izumi reached towards her to turn the smaller girl's face, but instead put her hand on Ryo's shoulder. She opened her mouth, closed it again, and then spoke.

"Ryo... what's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"Ryo..."

"Look, nothing's wrong!"

"Ryo, your pitching was off today. Either you're sick or you're upset. You don't seem sick."

Ryo looked up into the taller girl's worried face, and frowned, looking away.

"Is it for my sake, or for the sake of the team?" asked Ryo.

"What?"

"Are you worried for my sake, or for the sake of the team?"

Izumi frowned. The answer seemed to matter a great deal to the smaller girl. Izumi's face softened, she opened her mouth to speak... and closed it. Her face hardened into her once customary expression, and she heard herself say:

"It's for the team."

"That's what I thought." said Ryo, her voice and expression taking on a little of Izumi's hardness. "Goodbye."

She ran off, ignoring Izumi's hand, which grasped emptily in her direction. Once home, she collapsed onto her bed and refused to come out until the next morning.

Izumi, too, headed home. She stared blankly into space, wondering how she could have been so stupid, being a coward when Ryo so desperately needed her reassurance. She spent the evening in an emotionally frozen state, emerging reluctantly in the morning to go to school.

Both girls spent the day staring absently in different directions, and both girls were erratic at practice. Yoko was the first to point out that the team had a practice game coming up. Arisu was only too eager to take Izumi's place, whereas Chiyo seemed concerned, and asked Ryo what was wrong, getting the same response Izumi had.

"Nothing."

Seira became angry. "Don't give me that! There's something wrong with both of you, and I want to know what it is!" She slammed her hand against the wall near Ryo, who flinched.

"Hey," said Seira, putting her hand on Ryo's shoulder, "I'm not going to hurt you. Just tell me what's wrong. Does it have to do with Takasugi?"

Ryo hesitated, then nodded. "But you're only asking because you want me to play well in the practice game," she said, downcast.

"Ryo!" Seira became angry again. "Why would you think that?"

"Izumi, she said.."

"Izumi!" Seira glared at Izumi, then turned towards the rest of the team. "Whatever she says, we really care, right?"

Each member of the team agreed, except Izumi who remained silent, and Arisu, who simply said, "I don't know why that has you so upset. I certainly wouldn't care." and left.

"See?" said Seira, after glaring at Arisu. "We care."

"But Izumi..."

"Izumi," said Seira in a dangerous tone, "what did you say to her?"

"I said..." said Izumi.

"She said she was just worried for the sake of the team," said Ryo.

"Why did you say something like that?" asked Seira, now pounding her fist against the wall next to Izumi with enough force to make even the usually composed fourth batter flinch.

"Because it's true," said a voice from the doorway. The girls turned to see Takasugi learning against the doorframe, wearing his school uniform, his usual grin on his lips and an angry look in his eyes.

"I've known Izumi for years," he continued, "and it's true. She doesn't make friends among her teammates, and she judges people based on what they can do. She may have loved me," and here he smirked, "but that's as much affection as she's capable of." He turned towards Ryo. "Not so happy to have left me now, are you, Ganmo-chan?"

Seira, Hikaru, and Koharu formed a barrier between Takasugi and Ryo. Chiyo stood hesitantly behind them, appearing uncertain of her place. The rest of the team crowded around Ryo, who was shivering, not with cold, but with fear.

"What are you doing here, Takasugi?" asked Seira, an edge to her voice. "If you're looking for Arisu, she's already left."

"Arisu?" asked Takasugi, looking surprised. "Oh no. I was looking for my Ganmo-chan. Apparently she didn't get the point last time."

Seira bristled at this, but Izumi was faster, coming out of her daze in the corner of the room and moving to stand in front of Seira.

"Takasugi," she growled, "what did you do to Ryo?"

"Oh, Izumi, I'm surprised," said the star batter, "it seems your Ivory Tower has crumbled. And all for my Ganmo-chan! Besides, I didn't do anything. I scared her, is all."

"Takasugi," said Izumi, looking very much as if she's like to slap him, "She's not yours. Not anymore. And you don't know me anymore, either. I'd appreciated it," she said, clenching her fists, "if you'd leave Ryo alone. Don't ever call her Ganmo-chan again."

"Why are you defending her? You know she can't avoid me forever... and whatever you say, she'll come back to me. She always has, in spite of your machinations."

Izumi tensed. She drew back her hand as if to strike Takasugi, but he danced back, just out of range. His mood suddenly lightening, he said,

"Oh, wow. Did I strike a nerve?" he smiled lightly, as if to assert his innocence. "I'll see you later, Ganmo-chan, Miss Ivory Tower."

He walked off and mounted his bike, whistling softly. Izumi frowned. When had Takasugi's temper gone so completely out of control, and why hadn't she seen it coming? Certainly he had always been somewhat insensitive, and she'd wondered occasionally if he'd been playing her off of Ryo over the course of the previous year, but never before had he exhibited these rages, which so suddenly dissipated. She wondered if it was just because, as the rich boy, baseball star, and popular guy he'd always been, he'd never really had anything denied from him. Now something was being denied him, something he'd taken for granted. It was, perhaps, merely a case of almost childish overreaction, compounded with the aggressiveness she'd known he possessed, which he was rarely able to indulge.

And that nickname, Miss Ivory Tower. Perhaps he'd chosen it because of her mother, who was known as the Ivory Tower Chairman. Certainly Izumi had always hated being associated with her mother. And certainly, the nickname would have been very appropriate only months earlier, when Izumi had largely shut off her emotions, and had reacted with a certain maliciousness to Ryo when Takasugi had taken an interest in the smaller girl.

Izumi, however, was worried that it was still true. She knew she still shut off her emotions sometimes, and perhaps she was a fool to think that Ryo could forgive her. But, she realized, she needed her to.

"Ryo," she said, turning to face the other girl, "I'm so sorry."

Ryo only nodded. Seira, standing in front of her, opened her mouth angrily, then closed it. Finally she said, "You owe her more than that. An explanation, at least."

Izumi replied, "I know." She hung her head for a moment, and then said, "Ryo, I'm sorry. I just..." It was hard to say, so hard to admit to what she was beginning to think a weakness, "I just... I returned to my old habits. I couldn't say it..." she wasn't looking at Ryo – she couldn't. "I couldn't say it was for you. Because," she said, gulping, "it was."

Ryo turned to face her, and she continued. "I'm not good with emotions," she said, "and I can't promise you much there. I can," she said, looking at Seira, "I can promise I'll keep Takasugi from hurting you. But I may need your help."

She turned to the team. "I'm not going to be able to protect Ryo at all times, or in every place, so I want you to keep an eye out for that asshole."

Every girl there nodded, slowly. "Thanks," she said. She turned to Ryo, finally looking her in the eye, "So," she said, "can you forgive me?"

'I don't deserve it,' she thought, 'I've done so much to her, so much for which I cannot make amends. And this is perhaps the worst offense."

"I think so," said Ryo, still looking very upset.

"Thank you," said Izumi.

The team gradually filed out, Hikaru declaring she'd see Ryo home. Izumi was grateful to the switch hitter; she wasn't sure she was up to it herself. As the last few girls left, and Izumi headed towards the door, she felt a hand on her arm. Turning around, she saw it was Seira. The tall sprinter had stayed behind, and was giving her a very serious, though not angry, look.

"What is it?" asked Izumi.

"You know," said the sprinter, looking her in the eye, "You'd better keep that promise."

With that, she left. Izumi followed slowly in her wake, then turned towards home.

"Yes," agreed Izumi to no one in particular, "I'd better."


End file.
